Before the start of this season, there were concerns surrounding certain races in the NASCAR Cup Series schedule. Many were not entirely on board with Darlington hosting the final regular season race and three unpredictable tracks occupying the Round of 16. The Round of 8 fixtures, however, have won people over. Christopher Bell is one of those left impressed.
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Las Vegas, Homestead-Miami, and Martinsville are each loved venues in the Cup Series today. Race quality in these tracks is always of the highest order and it has been so in this round as well. The former two have already delivered, with drivers getting out of Homestead-Miami just this Sunday. The final race of the round is yet to be run in Martinsville.
Bell said in an interview after finishing fourth in Homestead-Miami, “This Round of 8 that we’ve had this year, these race tracks, it is just… It’s a goldmine. I mean we’ve seen amazing racing. Those last eight laps at Homestead were as good as it gets. So, I enjoyed being a fan.”
Christopher Bell after a fourth-place finish and having a 29-point cushion going into Martinsville: pic.twitter.com/rmZjjO3ViI
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) October 27, 2024
The No. 20 driver had the best seat in the house, with Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, and Tyler Reddick fighting for the lead right in front of him towards the end of the race. He now has a healthy 29-point cushion heading to Martinsville. Unless something disastrous happens, he should be able to secure a Championship 4 seat.
Restarts prevent Bell from challenging for the win in Homestead-Miami
Bell has been in a fast car throughout this season. But on Sunday, restarts proved to be his kryptonite. His speed just couldn’t balance the setbacks and gave up. He admitted the same in his post-race interview and noted how he wasn’t able to convert the restarts well.
“There were times in the race when I felt like I could contend but we just couldn’t,” he said. “Or I couldn’t consistently do it. Specifically, after the restarts, like I just didn’t have the mojo that I had last year on restarts and there were always a couple of cars a little bit better than me. It’s going to be a war at Martinsville.”
As long as he doesn’t become collateral damage in this war, Bell should be looking at a third straight Championship 4 race qualification. It is certain that Martinsville will be a bloodbath considering the number of drivers who will be under the pressure to win.
